Fact or Fiction : Myths About Getting Pregnant

Many myths have circulated for years about pregnancy. The purpose of this article is to clear up some of this misinformation--to separate truth from fiction.

"A woman can still get pregnant even if the penetration only lasts a few seconds." Truth. If a penis directly contacts the vaginal area, the risk for pregnancy is there. Obviously the chance of pregnancy is not as likely as it would be if there had been ejaculation, but the risk is still there. Also, sexually transmitted diseases have been found to still be transmitted in this way.

"A woman can get pregnant even if there was only 'dry sex' (i.e., there is only contact of skin, with no penetration)." Truth. Once again, if the penis contacts the vaginal area, you run the risk of either pregnancy and / or a sexually transmitted disease.

"Pre-ejaculation can get a woman pregnant." Truth. By pre-ejaculation, we refer to the liquid that sometimes seeps from the penis before actual ejaculation. And yes, it does have sperm, and therefore, can cause pregnancy. Please note that most men do not feel this before it happens, and therefore cannot control.

"Even if the woman doesn't have an orgasm, she can get pregnant." Truth. Whether or not an egg is able to be delivered for fertilization has nothing to do with an orgasm.

"Sperm can travel through his or her clothing." Mostly fiction--but could be possible, if the clothing were so totally saturated saturated that the semen had direct, easy contact with the woman's vagina. Even then, the chance of pregnancy would be minimal at best.

"A Woman can get pregnant after sex in water." Truth. The water that is against the outside of your body will not interfere with sperm being deposited in your vaginal area, if the penis is directly against it.

"Pregnancy can take place even if ejaculation happens in the water." Fiction. It would be nearly impossible for the sperm to traverse the distance from the water in the tub or pool, make it to the woman's vagina, and then cause pregnancy. This is especially true if the ejaculation takes place in hot water or water that has chemicals or bubbles, since the sperm could only survive for a few seconds.

"Anal sex can cause pregnancy." Fiction--and truth. Anal sex itself cannot cause pregnancy, however, there is a small possibility of sperm leaking by accident into the vagina, since the anus and vagina opening are close to one another.

"If the male ejaculates several times, there is a lesser chance of pregnancy." Fiction. Whether he ejaculates once, twice, three or four times has very little to do with the chance of pregnancy. Remember that every ejaculation has about 300 million sperm, only one of which is required for fertilization of an egg."

"If sperm reaches the air, it's dead." Fiction. Sperm can live for several days in the air, and can still cause pregnancy if it comes in contact with the vaginal area.

If you suspect the possibility is there for pregnancy, it's important that you monitor yourself for symptoms, and if you see them, consider doing a home pregnancy test. And of course, contact a physician.